Genesis 8:20

And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Noah	נֹ֛חַ No.ach	H5146	Noach · proper noun, a man's name
builded	וַיִּ֥בֶן vai.Yi.ven	H1129	to build (literally and figuratively) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
altar	מִזְבֵּ֖חַ miz.Be.ach	H4196	an altar · noun, common masculine singular absolute
LORD	לַֽיהוָ֑ה la.Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · preposition + proper noun, a title
took	וַיִּקַּ֞ח vai.yi.Kach	H3947	to take (in the widest variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
clean	הַטְּהוֹרָ֗ה ha.te.ho.Rah	H2889	pure (in a physical · definite article + adjective, feminine singular absolute
beast	הַבְּהֵמָ֣ה ha.be.he.Mah	H929	properly · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
clean	הַטָּהֹ֔ר ha.ta.Hor	H2889	pure (in a physical · definite article + adjective, masculine singular absolute
fowl	הָע֣וֹף ha.'of	H5775	a bird (as covered with feathers · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
offered	וַיַּ֥עַל vai.Ya.'al	H5927	to ascend · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
offerings	עֹלֹ֖ת 'o.Lot	H5930	a step or (collectively · noun, common feminine plural absolute
altar	בַּמִּזְבֵּֽחַ ba.miz.Be.ach	H4196	an altar · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Hebrews 13:15-16 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which i…
Genesis 22:9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son,…
Genesis 12:7-8 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared u…
Leviticus 11:1-47 And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,
1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath…
Genesis 13:4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
Genesis 26:25 And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac’s servants digged a well.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 8:20–end

Here is, I. Noah's thankful acknowledgment of God's favour to him, in completing the mercy of his deliverance, Gen 8:20. 1. He built an altar. Hitherto he had done nothing without particular instructions and commands from God. He had a particular call into the ark, and another out of it; but, altars and sacrifices being already of divine institution for religious worship, he did not stay for a particular command thus to express his thankfulness. Those that have received mercy from God should be forward in returning thanks, and do it not of constraint, but willingly. God is pleased with free-will offerings, and praises that wait for him. Noah was now turned out into a cold and desolate world,…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 8:20

Noah builded an altar--literally, "a high place"--probably a mound of earth, on which a sacrifice was offered. There is something exceedingly beautiful and interesting to know that the first care of this devout patriarch was to return thanks for the signal instance of mercy and goodness which he and his family had experienced. took of every clean beast . . . fowl--For so unparalleled a deliverance, a special acknowledgment was due.

Adam Clarke on Genesis 8:20

Noah builded an altar - As we have already seen that Adam, Cain, and Abel, offered sacrifices, there can be no doubt that they had altars on which they offered them; but this, builded by Noah, is certainly the first on record. It is worthy of remark that, as the old world began with sacrifice, so also did the new. Religion or the proper mode of worshipping the Divine Being, is the invention or institution of God himself; and sacrifice, in the act and design, is the essence of religion. Without sacrifice, actually offered or implied, there never was, there never can be, any religion. Even in the heavens, a lamb is represented before the throne of God as newly slain, Rev 5:6, Rev 5:12, Rev 5:1…

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John Gill

The Church Fathers

[The clean and the unclean] were together in the ark, but they were not equally pleasing to the Lord as a savor of sacrifice, for after the deluge Noah offered sacrifice to God of the clean, not of the unclean.
— Augustine of Hippo, LETTERS 108

Noah built an altar to the Lord, and taking from all the clean animals and birds, he offered burnt offerings on the altar. Because he was a just man and truly perfect in his generations, after surviving such a great calamity, he immediately, upon building the altar, gave thanks to the Creator, simultaneously petitioning that the world no longer deserve to be struck by such a plague. And because he prays devoutly and piously, he is soon deemed worthy of being heard. For it follows:
— Bede, Commentary on Genesis (Hexaemeron)

Now although this meat is a burden unto the wise and prudent, yet was it given by promise unto Noah, and it was sent unto Elijah in a gift, and Abraham received God and His angels thereby, and Isaac was pleased to pour out blessings upon Jacob thereby, and Samuel offered this gift beforehand to Saul as to a king, and David and all the righteous kings made use of such meat, and it was employed by all the righteous; and they were not blamed therefor, because they were superior to lust. And God permitted Noah also to eat every thing like green herbs, and though Adam was censured because he had eaten the fruit, yet to Noah power was given, as by a covenant of gift, over all meats.
— Philoxenus of Mabbug, 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Altar — (Heb. mizbe’ah, from a word meaning “to slay”), any structure of earth (Ex. 20:24) or unwrought stone (20:25) on which sacrifices were offered. Altars were generally erected in conspicuous places…
Burnt offering — Hebrew olah; i.e., “ascending,” the whole being consumed by fire, and regarded as ascending to God while being consumed. Part of every offering was burnt in the sacred fire, but this was wholly…
Dove — In their wild state doves generally build their nests in the clefts of rocks, but when domesticated “dove-cots” are prepared for them (Cant. 2:14; Jer. 48:28; Isa. 60:8). The dove was placed on the…
Fire — (1.) For sacred purposes. The sacrifices were consumed by fire (Gen. 8:20). The ever-burning fire on the altar was first kindled from heaven (Lev. 6:9, 13; 9:24), and afterwards rekindled at the…
High place — An eminence, natural or artificial, where worship by sacrifice or offerings was made (1 Kings 13:32; 2 Kings 17:29). The first altar after the Flood was built on a mountain (Gen. 8:20). Abraham also…
Priest — The Heb. kohen, Gr. hierus, Lat. sacerdos, always denote one who offers sacrifices. At first every man was his own priest, and presented his own sacrifices before God. Afterwards that office devolved…
Sacrifice — The offering up of sacrifices is to be regarded as a divine institution. It did not originate with man. God himself appointed it as the mode in which acceptable worship was to be offered to him by…
Altars · Mentioned in scripture: Of Noah — Mentioned in scripture: Of Noah
Animals · Clean and unclean — Clean and unclean
B · Clean: Used for sacrifice — Clean: Used for sacrifice
Birds · Early distinguished into clean and clean

Genesis 8:20

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 8:20–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 8:20

Adam Clarke on Genesis 8:20

John Gill

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Genesis 8:20

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 8:20–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 8:20

Adam Clarke on Genesis 8:20

John Gill

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Genesis 8:20

Keil & Delitzsch on Genesis 8:20–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Genesis 8:20

Rashi on Genesis 8:20